Long power outage stirs stormy public reaction

But nearly a week without electricity understandably can fray the nerves and try the patience of even the most easygoing folks among us.

Add the prospect of a second powerful nor'easter bearing down on the area and many were calling, "Enough is enough."

Such is the plight of thousands of residents of Sussex and Warren counties who have been without electrical service since Friday's nor'easter hammered the area with heavy snow, taking down trees and power lines.

As of Wednesday, ahead of Nor'easter II, the Jersey Central Power & Light Company power outage map indicated about 7,300 customers without power in Sussex County and about 4,500 in Warren County.

Percentage-wise, those two counties at that time had the greatest penetration of customers still out of power within the New Jersey area serviced by JCP&L -- about 13 percent of customers in Sussex County and nearly 9 percent in Warren.

Those numbers are dramatically reduced from outage figures reported in the immediate aftermath of Friday's storm, which were about 23,500 in Sussex and 15,400 in Warren as of Saturday.

Sussex Rural Electric reportedly restored service to its affected customers by Tuesday.

A JCP&L spokesperson said the utility was hopeful that electricity to its remaining powerless customers would be restored by tonight.

However, those estimates were made without knowing the impact from Wednesday's deluge of snow forecast to drop more than a foot of heavy wet snow in our part of the storm's path.

Even with progress being made, customers still without electricity and officials representing them are questioning if restoration should have been, or could have been, faster.

And to some degree, JCP&L is acknowledging some response aspects have not been as desired.

"We really did not know how bad this storm was going to be," JCP&L spokesperson Tricia Ingraham said. "If we had, we would have tried to have more backup crews in the area before it hit. Our crews are pushing as hard as they can without risking their safety."

Note to JCP&L: In your post-mortem of these storms, review your source of weather forecasts and how you evaluate proper response to them.

Another issue that was disclosed was a breakdown of established communication processes.

Those who, regrettably, are reminded of the extended outages surrounding Hurricane Sandy may recall that lack of clear communication was a major complaint.

Persons were more tolerant of power outages if they received accurate information regarding the repair status and estimated time of restoration. Such information was difficult to come by, leaving customers both figuratively and literally in the dark.

Since then, many positive processes have been implemented to better inform customers during such events.

However, JCP&L "had an issue with our text message alert system," Ingraham said. "People were getting notices that their power had been restored when it hadn't. Customers weren't getting the right information, and it was making things more complicated than they needed to be."

Byram Mayor Alex Rubenstein, in a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy's office, said he had gotten "broken commitments and a lack of information" from the utility.

Hopatcong Mayor Michael Francis said that a lack of communication between the power company and the municipalities was making it difficult for elected officials to give direction.

"They would tell me that the trucks were over in one part of town, but then later I would realize that they were somewhere else altogether. It made it much harder for us to help our residents understand what was going on."

Another note to JCP&L: Clear communication with community leaders and customers remains paramount. Review and renew efforts to improve.

All in all, the power outages throughout the area have been endured relatively well in large part due to a caring community. Warming centers and emergency shelters have been opened to assist those in need; neighbors have helped neighbors; restaurants have contributed to expansive potluck dinners.

That's not to say that frayed nerves can't snap.

A Vernon resident whose home had been without power since last Friday has been charged with making terroristic threats after police say he threatened to kidnap a utility worker and blow up an electrical substation so no one would have power.

To our credit, such reaction has been rare.

Still, weather forecasters are suggesting Nor'easter III may be on the horizon for early next week.